The Centennial League was formed in 1962 with the following original members:
Atchison, Haskell, Hayden, Highland Park, Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Washburn
Rural. When Ottawa announced that they would drop out of the NEKL (Northeast
Kansas League), NEKL teams attempted to recruit Seaman and Washburn Rural from
the Jayhawk League. Eventually these teams declined to join the
NEKL and instead they recruited Highland Park, Atchison and Leavenworth of the NEKL to join other
Jayhawk League team Haskell , Independent Hayden and new school Shawnee Heights
to form the Centennial League. Leavenworth did not participate fully in the
first year - so they were not eligible for conference championships. They had
full participation in the second year and Haskell decided to withdraw after just
the first year. Ottawa joined the EKL and Lawrence stayed an Independent for
several years before joining the Sunflower League in 1969.

Shawnee Heights did not play a full league schedule for football in 1962 - but
they did play a full basketball schedule. Population growth was slow in this
district and their teams struggled to compete. They withdrew from the league in
1971 and competed in the BIG 7 league for several years before re-joining the
Centennial League in 1976. Emporia joined the league in 1974 and Atchison
dropped out in 1978. Leavenworth dropped out in 1981.

The league remained stable until a realignment in the 2004-2005 school
year. When the Salina schools dropped out of the I-70 league,
the Topeka schools (THS and Topeka West) sought entrance to the
Centennial
League. The league accepted the two city schools. The KSHSAA decided
that Manhattan and Junction City
(the remaining schools from the old I-70) needed a league
affiliation and assigned them to the Centennial.